Sunday, 22 April 2012

St. Bernardus Abt 12

Good evening all. Today has been devoid of coursework and the like as I decided that instead of sitting in front of the computer pretending to do work, I would go to Plymouth with the family for a rare cinema outing. This was great fun but has left me feeling rather lethargic and uninspired, so what better than the most inspiring beverage ever created to get me prepared for a busy week finalising dissertations and coursework before restarting uni for the final time? Tonight's beer is St. Bernardus Abt 12, a Quad from Brouwerij St. Bernardus in Belgium. I'm a big fan of this brewery, and this particular beer has garnered a large amount of reverence on beer reviewing sites such as Beer Advocate and Rate Beer, so I'm looking forward to it a lot. Review after the pic....

St. Bernardus Abt 12 (10.0% ABV) pours a dark red colour with a nice thick off-white head that settles slightly to a decent covering over the surface of the beer. Exactly what I was expecting from a Belgian beer, and it never fails to impress me no matter how many times I see it! The aroma is very spicy and phenolic, with candy sugar, dark fruits, a sense of some hoppy citrus fruits and a gentle sweetness residing in the background. I can see (or rather smell) why this beer is so highly regarded already, it's so well balanced and composed and there's no awareness of the alcohol content in the nose at all. The taste also brings a lot of peppery spice and phenols, with raisins, blackcurrants, candy sugar and some dry grapes in the finish, which carries no bitterness but retains some of the spicy character from the yeast. The whole experience of drinking this beer is fantastic, with the yeast providing a nice bite and plenty of phenols during drinking, whilst the sweetness and fruitiness are balanced very well against each other without cloying on the palette. The alcohol content is very well hidden and doesn't really make itself known during drinking, and the mouthfeel is quite light and well carbonated (as you would expect with a Quad). Overall, a very impressive offering from a well-renowned brewery, and one that I could easily envision getting again in the future. Highly recommended, get a bottle in and be amazed!

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This blog will showcase a series of ramblings about various beers I've had the opportunity to try. If my disjointed, poorly described musings can convince a few people to try something different, then I'll be immensely happy. Thanks for reading!